Cavity-enhanced photon indistinguishability at room temperature and telecom wavelengths

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates room-temperature indistinguishable single photons at telecom wavelengths using nanotube defects in a fiber microcavity, advancing quantum communication technology.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to achieve high indistinguishability of photons at room temperature with nanotube defects in a fiber-based microcavity.

Findings

Photon indistinguishability increased by over two orders of magnitude.

Coupled system efficiency surpasses spectral and temporal filtering.

Room-temperature telecom-band single photon source achieved.

Abstract

Indistinguishable single photons in the telecom-bandwidth of optical fibers are indispensable for long-distance quantum communication. Solid-state single photon emitters have achieved excellent performance in key benchmarks, however, the demonstration of indistinguishability at room-temperature remains a major challenge. Here, we report room-temperature photon indistinguishability at telecom wavelengths from individual nanotube defects in a fiber-based microcavity operated in the regime of incoherent good cavity-coupling. The efficiency of the coupled system outperforms spectral or temporal filtering, and the photon indistinguishability is increased by more than two orders of magnitude compared to the free-space limit. Our results highlight a promising strategy to attain optimized non-classical light sources.